These urban legends will freak you out! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 20 most frightening urban legends and ghost stories from Japan.
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00:00 [Thunder]
00:05 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 most frightening urban legends and ghost stories from Japan.
00:12 [Japanese]
00:15 Number 20, Kune Kune.
00:22 Described by some as a demon, this entity plagues the Japanese countryside.
00:27 Like many good urban legends, the origins of Kune Kune can be traced back to the internet,
00:32 specifically to Japanese message boards in 2001.
00:35 It took on a life of its own though, and now, many people claim to have witnessed the Kune Kune in the countryside.
00:41 [Music]
00:47 It's a twisting white being you see in fields and rice paddies during summertime,
00:51 with its name literally translating to "wriggling body."
00:55 This sounds relatively harmless, but if you get too close or look at it for too long,
00:59 it's said that you will lose your mind.
01:02 Number 19, Akaneme.
01:04 You're at your most vulnerable when you're using the bathroom,
01:07 which could be why so many popular ghost stories center around it.
01:10 The Akaneme, whose name means "dead skin" and "filth," is a classic yokai who hides in the bathroom.
01:16 [Screaming]
01:23 They want nothing more than to lick up the dirt and mildew left behind after you shower,
01:27 and stories date back hundreds of years, often referring to Japan's many bathhouses.
01:32 They're not really supposed to be dangerous, just disgusting.
01:35 And we'd really rather not think about an imp-like creature licking the bathroom walls clean
01:40 while we're trying to relax in the steam.
01:42 Number 18, Hitobashira.
01:44 Meaning "human pillar," the practice of Hitobashira has been documented as far back as 1,500 years ago.
01:50 It's where people were sacrificed, often by being buried alive,
01:54 during the construction of buildings so that their spirits would later protect the site.
01:58 One particular legend centers around Maruoka Castle, built in the 16th century,
02:02 and claims that an old woman from the village was willingly buried alive underneath a pillar
02:07 so that her spirit would keep the wall from falling down.
02:10 Nobody knows if the story from Maruoka is true, but it did happen throughout history.
02:15 Hitobashira isn't too dissimilar to pharaohs having people slaughtered so that they could serve them in the afterlife.
02:20 Number 17, Sunshine 60.
02:23 In the same vein as Hitobashira, Sunshine 60 is a supposedly haunted skyscraper in Tokyo.
02:29 Don't let the name fool you.
02:31 This enormous building, which has an observation deck boasting some of the best views in Tokyo,
02:36 was built on the former site of Sugamo Prison.
02:39 But Sugamo was built in the late 19th century,
02:42 but became particularly noteworthy during World War II when it was used as a POW camp.
02:47 After the war, it was used by the US Army to hold some of Imperial Japan's most notorious war criminals.
02:53 Dozens of these war criminals were executed there before the building was demolished in 1971.
02:58 Sunshine 60 stands there today,
03:00 and is supposedly occupied by the restless dead of Japanese history's biggest villains.
03:06 Number 16, The Cursed Kleenex Commercial.
03:09 Japan is known for having unusual commercials, and this bizarre Kleenex ad is no exception.
03:15 [Kleenex ad]
03:24 The ad sees a woman in a white dress sitting next to an ogre while a song plays.
03:28 It immediately drew complaints for being creepy and disturbing.
03:31 [Kleenex ad]
03:36 Rumors spread that it was cursed, and that everybody who worked on it,
03:39 including its star Keiko Matsuzaka, had died tragically.
03:43 Suffice it to say, none of this is true.
03:46 As of 2024, Matsuzaka is still alive and in her 70s.
03:50 [Kleenex ad]
03:59 But the commercial is still so spooky to watch that people enjoy telling tall tales about it.
04:04 Maybe we'll go with a different brand of tissues in the future.
04:07 Number 15, Kisaragi Station.
04:10 [Kisaragi station ad]
04:15 Like Kune Kune, this story also came from internet forums.
04:18 That doesn't mean it won't scare you to your core, though.
04:21 A young woman commuting to work one day found her train going way off course,
04:25 with her fellow passengers asleep.
04:26 [Train sounds]
04:36 She was unable to leave, but soon enough,
04:38 the train stopped at the ominous Kisaragi Station, which doesn't exist.
04:43 What made the situation so memorable for those on the message board, however,
04:46 is that the story's author was live posting it, as if it was actually happening.
04:50 The woman's final message said that things were, quote, "getting strange,"
04:54 and that she wasn't going to post anymore.
04:56 She was never heard from again.
04:58 It is a chilling modern ghost story.
05:01 Number 14, Kokuri.
05:03 About the same time that the modern version of Ouija boards appeared in the 19th century,
05:07 Japan had its own iteration, Kokuri.
05:10 The idea is that using only paper, you draw the symbols you want the spirit,
05:14 known as Kokuri-san, to use to communicate.
05:17 You also need to ensure that doors and windows are open,
05:20 because otherwise, Kokuri-san can't come in.
05:22 Like Ouija, there's no evidence that Kokuri will actually summon any kind of entity.
05:27 But that doesn't stop people from trying their luck,
05:29 playing the game at risk of conjuring a spirit.
05:32 That, if the rules aren't all followed, might do them more harm than good.
05:36 Number 13, Daruma-san.
05:39 Also known as the bath game, Daruma-san is another divination game, similar to Kokuri,
05:44 but you're trying to summon a much more malevolent spirit on purpose.
05:47 In Japan, Daruma dolls are red, round dolls important to Buddhism.
05:51 To do this, you supposedly need to sit in a full bathtub late at night and wash your hair while
05:56 chanting.
05:57 You'll then have summoned the ghost of a woman who will follow you.
06:00 But if you turn around and look at her, she'll become violent.
06:04 The name Daruma-san likely comes from a game played with Daruma dolls
06:15 similar to Red Light, Green Light,
06:16 which itself is similar to how the bath game is supposed to work if it's successful.
06:21 Number 12, Onryo.
06:28 In Japanese mythology, Onryo are restless and often violent spirits who want nothing
06:33 more than to harm the living.
06:34 They've been recorded for more than a thousand years, but there's one particular Onryo you'll
06:43 be very familiar with, Kayako Saeki from The Grudge.
06:55 Kayako appears in the Japanese original movies and the American remakes as an Onryo because
07:00 of her violent murder at the hands of her husband.
07:02 Sadako from The Ring is also an Onryo, but similar spirits exist in real-life folklore in Japan.
07:08 Many regions have their own specific Onryo stories to frighten everybody who hears them.
07:24 Number 11, Ghost Taxi Passengers.
07:27 These stories began to be widely reported, even outside of Japan,
07:31 in the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.
07:34 This huge earthquake was one of the strongest on record, with almost 20,000 people dying
07:49 and thousands more injured or missing.
07:52 But eventually, taxi drivers in the areas the tsunami had hit began reporting passengers who
07:56 disappeared.
07:57 Though these ghosts are not malevolent, the phenomenon has been widely discussed.
08:20 Nobody knows exactly what's to blame for the rise in taxi drivers having these encounters,
08:24 with some putting it down to trauma from the tsunami.
08:27 Or maybe there's more to this world than we currently understand.
08:31 Said to be made up of the bones of unburied people who have died of starvation or at war,
08:41 the Gashadokuro is always hungry.
08:44 It hides in the woods at night, where it can blend in with skeletal trees,
08:48 and then attacks unsuspecting passersby.
08:51 According to the myths, the only warning that you're being stalked by one of these giant
08:55 stealthy skeletons is that intended victims will suddenly experience a ringing in their ears.
09:00 If that happens, be sure to hightail it out of there.
09:03 Said to be both invisible and indestructible, the only true prevention is a Shinto charm.
09:09 Number 9, Nureonna or The Snake Woman.
09:13 According to Japanese folklore, this snake woman is reputed to haunt shorelines,
09:18 and will trap fishermen and swimmers before crushing them to death and
09:22 sucking the blood from her victims with her long tongue.
09:25 She lures her victims with a small bundle, said to resemble a baby.
09:29 If the victim offers to hold the baby, she will let them live.
09:33 If they try to get rid of it, the bundle becomes incredibly heavy, and they are unable to escape.
09:38 In other stories, she just wants to wash her long hair in peace,
09:41 and will attack any who interrupt her.
09:44 So, be forewarned.
09:46 Number 8, Kiyotaki Tunnel.
09:48 Said to be cursed, it's considered one of the most haunted places in Japan.
09:53 Several rumors revolve around the tunnel, including its length.
09:57 Found in Kyoto Prefecture, it's said to be 444 meters long, equivalent to about 1,456 feet,
10:05 with 4 being a suspicious and unlucky number in Japanese tradition.
10:09 However, it's said to vary in length depending on the time of day,
10:12 sometimes longer and sometimes shorter.
10:15 Furthermore, it's said to have a particular mirror inside.
10:19 If you look into this mirror, you will glimpse a vision of your own death.
10:22 Number 7, Tenome.
10:25 This creature was the inspiration for one of the most memorable creatures in the 2006
10:29 fantasy drama Pan's Labyrinth, the Pale Man.
10:32 However, this hideous creature comes straight from Japanese lore, and is Tenome.
10:37 His name means "hand eyes" or "eyes on hand",
10:41 and the legend says that a blind old man was beaten to death by hoodlums.
10:45 As he lay dying, he wished that he had seen them to know who they were,
10:49 wishing he'd had eyes on his hands.
10:51 Because of his rage, he came back as a ghost with eyes on his hands,
10:55 and now will kill whoever he lays his eyes on.
10:58 Number 6, Tomino's Hell.
11:00 What if words could kill?
11:03 Well, apparently, these ones do.
11:05 The legend goes that there's a poem called Tomino's Hell.
11:08 In the vein of the ring, a seemingly innocuous action taken with an everyday object could be deadly.
11:14 If read out loud, something terrible will happen to the reader,
11:17 ranging in severity from illness, injury, misfortune, or death.
11:21 Most online versions of the poem are spoken via text-to-speech software.
11:26 No word on if it's considered safe to read the translation aloud.
11:29 Even in the digital age, it's stories like this one that feel the most powerful,
11:33 because, well, why take the risk?
11:35 Number 5, Gozu or Cowhead.
11:39 This urban legend also deals with cursed literature.
11:42 Allegedly discovered in the 17th century, it's said to be the scariest story ever written,
11:47 and that anyone who reads it will die of fright.
11:50 There are multiple accounts of the story from this era,
11:53 but only in reference of its notoriety, and that it's too awful to repeat.
11:57 According to the legend, most of the copies were destroyed, but some fragments remain.
12:02 One account tells of an elementary school teacher accidentally reading fragments to their students,
12:07 causing several to suffer fits, and the rest to break out in panic.
12:11 Number 4, The Red Room Curse.
12:14 One for the modern age, the Red Room Curse tells of a pop-up that appears on the intended victim's computer.
12:20 The pop-up asks, "Do you like the Red Room? Even if you close the window, it'll keep coming up."
12:26 Once asked, the unfortunate internet user will die,
12:29 with the room in which they're found dripping in their blood.
12:32 It started as a simple, if unsettling flash animation,
12:36 but the legend became infamous when it was linked to the death of 12-year-old Satomi Mitarai,
12:40 who was murdered by a classmate in an empty classroom.
12:43 Number 3, Akamento and Aomento.
12:47 Red Cape, Blue Cape.
12:48 Japan has a thing for toilet ghosts.
12:51 There's Hanako-san, who haunts school bathrooms, and Kashima Reiko.
12:55 But they say after you hear the full story, she'll appear to you after a month, so let's leave this be.
13:00 But of all the bathroom bogeys, this one is the worst.
13:03 Aka or Aomento usually haunts the last stall in a public bathroom.
13:08 If you use it, a voice will ask you if you want the red or the blue paper.
13:12 The results vary, but a common version goes like this.
13:15 Say red, it slices the back of your neck.
13:18 Say blue, they choke you to death.
13:21 To survive the murderous ghost, decline either option.
13:24 Do not ask for a different color, as the ghost will send you to the netherworld.
13:29 (Screaming)
13:33 Number 2, Teketeke.
13:35 This urban legend tells of a young girl who's hit by a train on her way home from school.
13:40 Cut in half, she now haunts places like railroad crossings and schools.
13:44 She crawls around on claw-like hands, sharpened to the bone from years of dragging,
13:49 which now make the telltale "teketeke" sound.
13:52 However, it sounds a bit like an oncoming train, so you can't be quite sure when she's near.
13:57 Angry and vengeful, she chases those waiting around too long.
14:01 If she catches you, she will cut you in half to make you like her.
14:05 And if you think you can outrun her, bad news, she's super fast.
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14:26 Number 1 - Kuchisake Onna or the Slit-Mouthed Woman
14:30 This one is the most disturbing because it feels like she really could be walking around near you,
14:34 and you'd never know.
14:36 The tale dates all the way back to the Edo period.
14:39 Once very beautiful, this woman was horribly disfigured when her mouth was slit from ear to ear.
14:44 She covers her face, traditionally with a scarf and sometimes with a medical mask.
14:48 A vengeful spirit, she stops unsuspecting victims and asks if they think she's pretty.
14:55 If they answer no, she either shows them her mouth and then slits their face with scissors,
14:59 or waits for them to go home and savagely kills them.
15:03 If yes, she screams "How about now?" and then slits their face anyway.
15:08 To escape, say "So-so" then run.
15:12 Let us know in the comments which story will have you sleeping with the lights on.
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15:30 [Music]